New Things and New Subjects

Mabel and I were talking about all of the things that would make up her cabin. We were throwing ideas of designs off of eachother, with smiles on our faces. But like just everything else my life, I was interrupted. I could hear a van coming into my property. Without explaining to Mabel what I heard, I dashed out the door. "Switch Come to the driveway someone is coming in a truck." I commanded Switch in my mind. I ran to down my dirt driveway to where I could hear the truck. I heard a roar, and the sound of breaks, I could tell that Switch had gotten there before me.

"What are you doing on my property!" I yelled at the men in the truck. The driver stuck a shaky hand out of the window holding a badge for the DDP. "Oh I see. Switch you are excused, these men aren't threats." I said out loud. She turned tail and quickly disappeared into the woods.

"What are you doing here?" I asked as I approached the drivers side window. The men were still shaking. "Yeah yeah I know. Scary vicious dragon lady with horns. I am not angry anymore, so you are safe."

The men stopped shaking, but were still obviously frightened. "W..we have a new clutch for Ivy Jenkins. I opened my eyes widely. "My first clutch still aren't matured, and I am still training a disabled dragon." I told him. I was too busy for another clutch, why was I getting more.

"We only deliver we don't have any further explanations. The man said. I rolled my eyes. "Fine, just give me the eggs here and leave. You will just stir up trouble." I told them.

"Actually we are here to escort Agent Reese back to HQ as well." the driver said nervously, obviously afraid I would lash out for not getting my way.

"Okay." I said, and immediately bolted to the house keeping pace with the now moving truck.

I walked into Bill's house and announced that Paul's ride was here. Mabel sighed and gave her dad a hug. "I am going to miss you." she said to her dad and they hugged again. I disappeared to the truck, where I reached inside and found a case similar to Mabel's bag that had carried Peculiar's egg. The bag was bigger, but I could feel life in it. I took it out and walked back to my house to open and reveal the eggs. I brought the bag to the nursery. It had been months since I had been down here, though the small nest was still just as hot, and I imagine there was still giant cuts of meat in the freezer. I grabbed my phone and called Mabel. "Hi Ivy. My dad just left..." she began.

"Good come to my dragon nursery...now. I have a surprise." I said, then I immediately hung up. Within minutes she came out of the elevator. "What is the...OMG is that an egg carrier?!" she asked, though she obviously knew the answer.

"Yeah, can you believe those goons left me with eggs before my clutch was grown, I mean they could have at least waited until my Gull Wings could fly." I said annoyed. Though I did feel some excitement.

"They usually do that." Mabel explained, "It usually takes the eggs a long time to hatch, so they give the eggs to the dragon lady early. Do you know how long it took your last clutch to hatch?" she asked.

"Uhh... Edna left a note saying they took fifty years." I mumbled feeling stupid that I had not thought of that on my own.

"What?! FIFTY YEARS?!" Mabel yelled. "Usually eggs take a maximum of six months to hatch." she exclaimed.

"Really, they hatched just about as soon as I found them." I said.

"They must have felt you were different from the very beginning." she said. Most women would have thrown out the eggs if they took even half that long." Mabel said.. That thought made me angry, though it would be rational to assume the eggs were dead.

I opened the bag and saw two shiny black eggs. They almost looked like stickers.

"I wonder what they will be." Mabel said. I was shocked she couldn't figure it out.

"They are obviously Shadow Sights." I said.

"She looked at me confused." How would you know? They look like every other egg to me." she questioned.

"They look like black stickers, how can you not assume they are shadow sights?" I asked.

"What are you talking about they are the same old round white eggs, though they are a little small." she said.

"Can you really not see what I see?" I asked.

"Nope." she said, not even bothering to question me.

"I will just assume you are right because of all of your cooky dragon stuff." she said. I was still a bit confused, but I was snapped out of my thoughts by a familiar CRACK noise.

I looked to the eggs which were both moving, though I couldn't tell where they had cracked.

"Mabel backed behind me, so the hatchlings wouldn't see and imprint on her. "You were right she whispered. Both of the seemingly two dimensional small black dragons ran to my lap. I could see that both of them had bright yellow eyes, and could feel their bodies shapes on me, but they still looked two dimensional. "Both of them closed their eyes and snuggled into eachother making it seem like there was a round dark shadow sitting on my lap. "Mabel I thought you said this would take months?" I whispered in a harsh voice.

"Firstly I said thwy usually do, not always. Secondly I think you just have a thing about you, dragons are attracted to you, and seem to be that way even if they are in eggs." she lectured in a whisper.

"Well now I have two little she-dragons curled up in my lap sleeping. Can you grab that book from the shelf and read me the chapter on Shadow Sights?" I asked in a quiet voice.

"Wait how can you tell they are girls? No one is even sure that they aren't a hermaphrodite species." she asked.

"I don't know, just assume it is another super dragon lady thing." I said with a sigh, tired of finding new ways to make me even more strange.

"Okay looks like they don't need a heated nest, and thrive just about anywhere, they eat mold and moss and fungi. They are typically quite peaceful, are found everywhere, and grow to be the size of cats." she said, skimming through the chapter. So sounds like you got two fur-less kittens." she said. I sighed in relief that makes things so much easier.

"Okay time for naming." I said

"Wait you said you wouldn't name anymore dragons." Mabel said.

"Mouse I just got two cat dragons that will take care of mold problems in all of our houses, make excellent spies, and won't breed like crazy because they are both girls." I explained she nodded her head and said "That does make sense. Can I name one?" she asked excitedly.

"Nope I have already decided. This is Nymph and that is Wisp." I said. "Two mystical creatures that can instantly disappear." I explained, "What you can do is make two tiny collars so others can tell them apart until they are grown. I want a very light blue for Wisp, and a light green mixed with pink for Nymph." I told her. She nodded happily. It will be my honor. We both headed out of the nursery, each taking a turn on the elevator. I held one hatchling in each hand. I called to all of my dragons when I stepped outside. "Everyone, come and meet the newest hatchlings." Nymph and Wisp hopped in my hands excitedly when they saw my eyes turn yellow. Coruscant, Somnolent, and Vainglorious flew to me and landed one by one, Vainglorious being the most graceful. Valorous simply walked to me from the other side of the house. I hadn't even realized that he was guarding me. Switch came with Callalilly gently being held in her jaws. Then through the forest thumping loudly came all three Gull Wings. "Okay guys this is Wisp." I raised my left hand. "and this is Nymph." I said raising my right hand. "All of the dragons were speaking over one another. "New baby.", "This is only shadow..", "Will protect the little ones.", "I was more cute.".

"I expect you all to act as these are your young siblings. When they are grown they will not hog food from you, and they will help patrol with you. They will be very small like Coruscant's foot." I said. Coruscant picked up her foot and looked at it curiously. "Why new babies?" I heard Vainglorious ask. "I do not know why. Some kind men brought their eggs here, they just hatched. Both of the hatchlings started squeaking and all of my dragons backed up nervously. I put them at the edge of the house where some moss was growing and they both began to eat. "Do not be scared or nervous around hatchlings. Some day you too will help me with new hatchlings, and they can sense if they are wanted or not. "Why must we?" Somnolent asked. "Because all of us are going to change the world, and save wild dragons." I said proudly to them. "You may leave now, if you want. Most left, but Valorous had found a new purpose and that was keeping these babies safe. Somnolent simply plopped down on the ground, he had decided that the front yard was a good sleeping spot.I picked up the now very full, and very sleepy hatchlings and walked over to Bill's house. "Did anybody know I was getting eggs today?" I asked accusingly. "What More?!" Bill said pinching the bridge of his nose. He thought more dragons made more work.

"Oh yes I forgot to relay that message, someone from the DDP called last week about that. I placed the sleepy hatchlings on a placemat on the kitchen island. "Oh thank goodness." Bill said, "Shadow Sights are the easiest dragon of all." he said. I was still scowling at Mrs.Horn. "Their names are Nymph and Wisp." I said taking my gaze away from Mrs.Horn.

"You named more of them?! Why on Earth, do you know how fast this kind breeds?" Mrs.Horn asked.

"They are both females." I said, "and their kind is more useful here than detrimental." I explained.

"How could you possibly know the genders? No one has been able to figure that out, and we have known about them for centuries."

I rolled my eyes. "I can tell because of the same reason I can make long distance calls to dragons, grow horns, and smell Mouse across the forest. It is another useful quirk." I said trying to hold back my frustration. "Now are the boys here? I wanted to show them the new babies." I said letting out a breath I didn't know I was holding. "Jasper and Will are working somewhere on the land, you can show them at dinner." Bill said. I nodded and left the house. Nymph and Wisp were sleeping on my arms. I decided it would be easiest for them to sleep in my cave with me. There was plenty of moss and lichens for them to eat in there. Since they didn't need extreme heat like the others, I would just bring them everywhere with me. It would help them to learn about the land and how to navigate it as well. I walked around the forest with a small shadowy head poking out of each pocket. I checked in on most of my dragons. I would say all, but I couldn't check on Valorous as he was already checking up on me. Soon I laid the hatchlings down on Valorous' back and began lessons with Mabel and Peculiar. These lessons were certainly late, but I had had quite the morning. After practice I was tired. Not physically, but mentally. I walked back to my house at a regular human pace. When I finally got there I plopped down in the grass, and leaned against Somnolent, whom was still lazing about on my lawn. Each hatchling curled up in one the pockets of my hoodie. I scratched under Somnolent's chin. He purred, and soon enough we were all asleep on the lawn. I woke up to see Will and Jasper staring above me. Jasper was repeatedly poking my nose. "Hey dad said you had a surprise for us. I could feel Nymph and Wisp crawl out of my pockets and onto the shadow that Jasper was casting across Somnolent's stomach. "Yeah, right here. Girlies can you open your eyes and smile for these boys." I said out loud. Both of them looked confused until four yellow eyes popped into view, then two sets of perfectly white teeth. "I didn't know I could see their teeth." Jasper and Will were stunned. "You got Shadow Sights! I was hoping for something more rare, but these guys are so cool, their two dimensional appearance from any view is awesome." When Jasper yelled it caused both hatchlings to run back into my pockets. "I told you with the last clutch, and I will tell you with this one. Yelling scares them, please try to speak softer." I told Jasper.

"So what did you name them?" he asked.

"Why do you think I named them?" I asked coyly.

"Well they eat mold and moss, so they would be good for your house, they would make good spies, and they stay tiny." he listed.

"Very good. They are also both females." I added. "This is Wisp and that is Nymph." I said.

"More odd names, why did you name these ones Nymph and Wisp? Though I like that they are much easier to say." Will asked, not trying to sound rude. Jasper however did not try to sound polite.

"Obviously because wisps and nymphs are magical creatures that can disappear when they want to. So since these guys can hide in any shadow and disappear it suits them." Jasper rudely pointed out. Though he was correct.

Will looked at me for support. "Jasper's right, but is also pretty rude." I said. Jasper just stuck his tongue out at me.

"Come on boys I need to make dinner." I started to walk to my house. "Why at your place?" Jasper asked. "There is some mold under my sink that would make a good dinner for these two." I said and kept walking. Beef stew and beans tonight. I looked under the sink where Nymph and Wisp were happily licking mold off of the floor of my cabinet. "You know Shadow Sights hate being dirty, you should see if they want a bath." Jasper said with his mouth full. I waited until everyone was done eating, including Nymph and Wisp, then I filled a pie pan with warm water and laid it on the counter. I picked up the new hatchlings and put them in the water. Nymph naturally took to the water and looked to be cleaning herself (though it is hard to tell with their two dimensional appearance). Wisp however was very unsure about the water. She was lifting her legs up and down awkwardly not knowing what to do. Soon Nymph came over to help her sister adjust, and soon they were squeaking with joy and splashing water over eachother.

After a few minutes of them splashing about, I handed both Mabel and Jasper one dry dish cloth, and one wet hatchling. Each hatchling was purring as Mabel and Jasper dried them. "Then Nymph hissed for a moment and it stopped Mabel in her tracks. "What did I do wrong you were so happy a second ago?" she asked the little dragon. I looked at her and rolled my eyes. "You have to dry her down her fur, not against it." I explained.

"They have fur?" Mabel asked shocked.

"Of course they have fur, haven't you tried just petting them? Mouse, just like a dog or a cat rub down from their head. Once they are dry you can see how fluffy they are." I said. It didn't take long for the hatchlings to dry. Mabel began to pet Nymph. "She is the softest thing I have ever felt." she said. She then picked her up and rubbed Nymph on her cheek. As she began rubbing I could hear a tiny growl, then Nymph bit Mabel's nose. She may be small, but her teeth are extremely sharp. Mabel squeaked and dropped Nymph, but quickly caught her before she could hit the hard counter.

"It's a good thing you caught her. I would of had to kill you if you dropped one of my babies." I said half joking. I sipped some pop from a can, smiling with my eyes.

"Speaking of babies, you are getting old, when are you going to have a daughter and pass on the dragon lady line." Mrs.Horn said. I spit out my soda all over the place. Coughing at her remark.

"Babies...like human ones? Listen lady, I don't have a spouse, I doubt I am human, and I have children, they just happen to be reptiles." I said confidently.

"Oh I am sure you are human, just a weird one." Mrs.Horn said. I could hear all of the boys holding in laughter at our conversation. Mabel looked like she was watching a soap opera. Most dragon ladies don't have spouses. It makes it hard to keep a massive secret, and find love. Usually it is a sperm donor deal. I have two daughters myself." Mrs. Horn said.

"Since when do you have kids?!" Bill yelled.

"Oh I had them when I was nineteen so I could live a relatively long childless life. I love them and all, but I have been told I am not the mothering type. They are twins. Rachael and Delilah live in Norway now raising clutches together, but that is not what we are talking about." She explained. Everyone in the room was silent. Mrs.Horn looked around confused, "What?", she asked.

"I have known you for twenty years and you never told me you had children." Bill said.

"It's a wonder they lived long enough to move to Norway. Have you tried her cooking?" Jasper whispered to Mabel. Even Nymph and Wisp looked shocked.

"It isn't that big of a deal. My nannies were great, there wasn't too much parenting on my part! Now let's focus back on Ivy." she said. We all understood now. Her daughters survived because of DDP nannies.

"Mrs.Horn look at me. There is no way I am human. At this point I am pretty sure I was adopted." I said calmly.

"Well I am going to call the DDP to get here tomorrow, they will do some tests, and prove me right." she said. "Then will you considerate it?" she asked. "Fine Mrs.Horn I will even pick out a sperm donor if the tests come back how you want." I said. I knew that there was no way in Hell that she would be right, so I ended the conversation how she wanted it. Tomorrow would be interesting. There was no way that my tests would be normal, so I was excited to see what I truly was.